The Price One Pays
by twisted-sheets
Summary: Does Victory taste this bitter? After killing Voldemort, Harry disappears from the magical world. Years later, the dark forces are back, led by Draco Malfoy. Will Harry overcome his bitterness to save the world again.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. I'm not making money out of this.

**Free talk:** This is my first Harry Potter fic. Funny, because I've hardly read any HP fanfiction, with most of them yaoi or slash ones (I go for SiriusxLupin or in extreme, SiriusxHarry). This one, however, will be het with a bit of yaoi, so if you're a pure slash/yaoi fan, stay away. Suggestions?

**Pairings:** Uhm…Hermione x Ron and Sirius x Lupin. Well, for now anyway. Any suggestions?

**Summary:** Does Victory always taste this bitter? Harry's thoughts when he defeated the Dark Lord in their final magical battle. Harry has disappeared from the magical world. More than ten years later, the Dark forces are back, this time led by Draco Malfoy. Can he overcome his bitterness to save the world once more?

This fic is for **Harry**, my pet cat who died.

**The Price One Pays**

**Prologue: Fulfillment**

He had fulfilled his destiny.

With trembling hands, seventeen-year-old Harry Potter groped in the constricting darkness of the Chamber of Secrets, searching for his glasses that had fallen earlier in one of his many tumbles during the fight. His skin cringed away from the slippery floor, but he went on with his search. On one of his hands, he held his battered wand, its tip still glowing with power. Taking a deep breath, he summoned what strength he had and muttered, "_Lumos_."

Light exploded in the darkness, momentarily blinding Harry. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he glanced around, but without his glasses he could only see fuzzy shapes. He barely noted the destruction near him–the broken, crumbling walls and shattered stone just several feet or so away from him–many covered with something…or someone red. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, almost flinching at the feel of something wet and squishy brushing against his face.

He glanced around again, and finally spotted his glasses. Miraculously, it wasn't broken. Wiping the bits of what appeared to be of flesh and bone sticking to it away with a grimy sleeve, he put the glasses on.

As his vision slowly cleared, he found himself in the middle of a small crater, surrounded by the chunks of rock and masonry he had seen earlier, which were mostly covered with something slimy and red. _Voldemort's scattered remains_, Harry thought, a shiver racing up his spine as he recalled the explosive battle between him and the Dark Lord.

In the beginning, the fight between them had been vicious, both of them using the best of their spells, magic exploding around them, causing the air around them to writhe and sizzle as if it were alive. Nevertheless, in the end, they fought only with their wills–no fancy spells or magical artifacts. Armed only with their twin phoenix feather wands and basic spells, they engaged in a final magical battle. Harry's will proved to be stronger than Voldemort's and he defeated the Dark Lord. With an insane shriek, Lord Voldemort exploded into a million pieces as the magic they wrought caught him in its grasp.

Harry Potter had killed Lord Voldemort.

Harry wanted to think he defeated the Dark Lord because of his skills, or because of the sweet, warm thoughts of his friends and family, but he would be deluding himself. Harry defeated Voldemort because his hatred for Voldemort far exceeded the Dark Lord's hatred for Mud-bloods and Muggles. Harry hated him for killing his parents, for killing Dumbledore, Cedric, and other innocent people, for hurting his friends, and ruining his life. Most of all, Harry hated Voldemort because he forced him to be a murderer.

He swallowed the huge lump in his throat, only to choke at the bitter taste in his mouth. _Is this the taste of victory?_ Harry thought. _I dislike it_.

_I have fulfilled my destiny. I have defeated the Dark Lord. _

_And I have become a murderer. Like him_.

Harry's stomach heaved. Clutching his stomach, he retched, choking sounds echoing in the chambers. His world spun around him. _I must get away from this place. I must leave…_

"Harry! Harry!" Harry stiffened when he heard dim shouts from somewhere in the chamber. _Ron_. "Where the bloody are you? Are you all right? God, it stinks here!"

"Harry!" Hermione's voice was softer than Ron's, but its intensity was the same. There was a sudden crash and a rude oath from Ron. "Ron, stop that! Harry? Are you all right? Sirius and Lupin are coming!"

Harry almost smiled, then he remembered where he was and what had happened. He looked at the darkness surrounding him, the dank smell of the damp chamber mixing with the rusty smell of blood, then at the approaching glow of Ron and Hermione's wands.

He lifted his wand. A sad smile on his lips, he whispered, "Disapparate." And he disappeared, did not appear for a long, long time.

**T.B.C**

**Free talk, part 2:** Well, that's it. I hope you'll like this. XD Not much plot yet…I think.

**The fight:** I imagined Harry's fight with Voldemort like this: It begins with a dazzling show of magic and spells, but in the end, it's the strength of their wills that will decide who wins.

I'm not really sure if I'm going to continue this. I could leave it as a one-shot. I'm just exploring plot possibilities in Harry Potter and Harry's emotions. So please do tell if I should continue or not. Comments and criticisms are welcome.


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